My first step in Africa and in Morocco has been just glorious. Chefchaouen, the blue town, lost and hidden in the middle of beautiful mountain rages, has given us the best welcome ever to this country that I already love it a bit.

Artisans work of Morocco

I felt almost like an invisible ghost last night when we arrived in Morocco and we started to drive along the roads of this country. Every now and then we were crossing some villages and, hidden behind the windows, we were watching the life in this country going on. Life in Morocco is a street life, and already since yesterday we could feel it. The streets are noisy and crowdy down here, children play everywhere, people talk loud, old cars make noise either with their engine and with their clacson. The traffic and the people make the places so much more alive compared to Europe.

Chefchaouen beauty in blue

Chefchaouen is a special place in Morocco. It’s called the Blue town as all the houses are painted in different tones of blue, to protect the people from the assault of mosquitos. It’s the town of wool, water and weed, told us Mohamed , the local who became mine, Thorgeir’s and Sam’s guide today. In Chefchaouen most of the people speak or understand Spanish, this helped me a lot not only to go around but also to get in touch with the locals. I was astonished when I entered in a small shop to buy a couple of diaries and when I told the guy I could pay only in Euros as I didn’t have dirhams, he suggested me to take the goods and come back later to pay, fully trusting me. Not in a lot of other countries this happens, and probably in man of the so called civilized Europe this is just impossible. The concept of the human who have here is what really astonished me.

Guided by Mohamme, the 3 of us went to a local farm

On the way to the mountain

on the top of a mountain Getting there was the real adventure. We jumped on a small mini bus meant to be for probably 9 people and we found ourselves surrounded by more than 15. The further the bus was going, and the more people were joining the mini bus Even when it was full, the driver kept stopping to pickup other people on the way, mostly people he knew as in this town everybody knows each other, or at least this is the feeling.

breathtaking view from the car on the way to the farm

To get to the top of the mountain, the road got worse and worse.

A curious child following

I think only a local can drive a bus all the way up there on such a tortuous mountain road with 15 people on board and as fast as we were just on a normal city road. But getting up there was beautiful. What a view! Simply gorgeous! The entire valley was laying at our feet, under majestic mountains surrounding it all over. It is the Morocco you don’t expect, the country with the purest water in Africa, healthy and fresh air and most of all gentle and smiling people. The children were all spying our steps up there when we arrived, and as soon as I told them “Hola” they gave me a shining smile. It was kind of a game all day, with me pretending to take a picture of them while they were hiding behind a door. They love it, and they loved got pictured as well, and I loved to seem them smiling.

Drinkng Moroccan tea with the locals

At the local farm we saw how they make the best hashish in the world. We drank thee with them, spoke and smoked together and talked about the little things of life. We went around to the nearest village, trough the mountain, and on the pat the guy showed us all the fields that are now covered by spring flowers and that in summer are full of cannabis. This business really involves a lot of people, they invite you to come over around October for the harvest, you can work for them and in the meanwhile smoke as much as you want, and it’s nice to observe how they are all part of it, from the guides to the driver to the farmer. It’s like supporting the local economy and I really enjoyed the concept behind it.

On our way back, we were even more people on the little van, playing loud Arabic music and talking in Arabic. The road back was so bad that for longer than a moment I thought we would have just jumped from one of the side of the mountain. The driver was driving and talking looking at the back to watch in the eyes the people he was talking to. It was almost like a comic movie, I was the only woman on that mini van, we were going down a mountain on the most dangerous road ever, with one of the most amazing landscapes in the world in front of us, collecting as many people as we could on the road and wondering where they would fit, every time one of them was jumping on board. It made my day, fully immersed in one of the most unique experiences ever, on the first day of Africa.

The blue of CHefchaouen

Back in town, Chefchaouen simply made me fall in love with this place. Every corner of the street is narrow, full of people who sell something, children playing, food, scents of sweet cakes or of exotic flavours, smiling faces, people around with the typical wood coat of this place who make them look like walking elves, all surrounded by the blue of every corner, wall or balcony of the old town. Simply amazing. It’ incredible how such a splendour can be hidden or so long in your life and then suddenly it appears, it exists and makes you feel part of this immense and amazing world.